Second Grade Government Class at Evans School

ERIN MCCRACKEN / COURIER & PRESS Sebastian Wilson and Eric Jorgenson cast their vote for their classmates in make-shift voting booths made out of cardboard boxes and ipads as they elect classroom government officers on November 4, 2013. Teacher, Tracie Stafford, encouraged her students not to vote for their friends but instead to vote for the student that would be the best leader for each position. Students who did not win in the election on Nov. 4 will still have roles within the class run government system and will be allowed to run again for election next semester.

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ERIN MCCRACKEN / COURIER & PRESS Tracie Stafford, second grade teacher at Evans School, helps student, Campbell Glaser, wave his flag to get students attention as he begins his campaign speech for prosecuting attorney as he runs for election in his second grade class on October 29, 2013. Glaser says he is good at arguing, a quality he feels will be helpful when acting as a prosecuting attorney for classmates who may stand trial for misbehavior. Stafford began running and setting up her second grade class to run like a government since the beginning of the year. Students learned about positions within the community and the role they play in a functional community, and selected positions they would like to run for within their class community.

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ERIN MCCRACKEN / COURIER & PRESS Tracie Stafford helps Sebastian Wilson follow along with his hand written speech for judge as he delivers it to his class during their campaign for class officers on October 29, 2013. Each student could run for one of five elected positions, prosecuting attorney, defense attorney, judge, vice president and president and was responsible for their own campaigning and speech writing.

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ERIN MCCRACKEN / COURIER & PRESS MarCavion Madison anxiously waits to be called on to ask Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke a question during a class visit on October 9, 2013. Winnecke visited the class to tell him about his role in local government and the community. Winnecke is one of many local politicians and community members working this year with Tracie Stafford’s class second grade class that is spending the year learning about government by modeling their classroom like one.

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ERIN MCCRACKEN / COURIER & PRESS Second grade student, De’Asia Bean’s grandmother, Tammberly Hassell and mother, Gabrielle Hassell, cheer after De’ Asia’s speech for class president on October 29, 2013. Families of the students were invited to come in to hear the speeches as well as come back to visit for election day. Although De’Asia did not win, she will get another chance to run again in January.

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ERIN MCCRACKEN / COURIER & PRESS Jada Huffine, elected class defending attorney hugs, Meghan Seibert Director of Marketing and Communications of Leadership Evansville, after winning her race on November 4, 2013 at Evans School. Leadership Evansville has partnered with Stafford’s second grade class to help educate and form bonds with members of the community to help them learn about government and community.

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ERIN MCCRACKEN / COURIER & PRESS Izzy Collignon crosses her fingers as she anxiously waits for the election result to be tallied to determine whether she won class president in her second grade class at Evans School on November 4, 2013. Collignon ran a good campaign, handing out bookmarks to her classmates saying “Vote for Izzy” but lost the race to her classmate Kaitlyn Bishop.

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ERIN MCCRACKEN / COURIER & PRESS Second grade students, from left, Kaitlyn Bishop, LeNyha Nash and MarCavion Madison sing the song “For Good” from the musical “Wicked “ to Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke at the end of his talk to their class at Evans School on October 9, 2013. Each student made Winnecke a heart shaped thank you note for the mayor thanking him for his visit.

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ERIN MCCRACKEN / COURIER & PRESS Ta’Lyha Smith is comforted by her grandmother, Chartina Allison, and mother, Alicia Allison, after losing the election for class president in her second grade class at Evans School on November 4, 2013. Smith was sad she did not win the position the first time around but will get a chance to run again for office in January. “I am very proud of her regardless of whether she won,” her mother, Alicia Allison said.

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ERIN MCCRACKEN / COURIER & PRESS Jada Huffine hugs Kaitlyn Bishop as they stand in front of the class with Rahnique Stinson after they win their classroom government elections on on November 4, 2013. Huffine, was elected defense attorney, Bishop was elected President and Stinson was elected vice president. Students elected positions will have certain roles within the classroom as will the students who are not elected. The roles will help enforce their community rules and help to work through classroom problems. Students not elected this round will have a chance to run again for office in January.

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ERIN MCCRACKEN / COURIER & PRESS Second grade students join Lynn Miller Pease with Leadership Evansville and Mayor Lloyd Winnecke in a conga line to the song “Celebrate” after positions were chosen for classroom offices on Nov. 4, 2013. The students celebrated with those classmates who won office as well as the effort each student put into their campaign. Teacher Tracie Stafford told her students that regardless of who won, they were all winners because they illustrated the role of good citizens in the community by helping each other with their campaigns.

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ERIN MCCRACKEN / COURIER & PRESS Maison Greenwell dashes past a bank of lockers with his classmate’s campaign signs on election day on Novemeber 4, 2013 at Evans School. Students in Tracie Stafford’s second grade class began learning about government and the role it plays in a community at the beginning of the year. In October students were told they would get a chance to run for several offices for the part of the year which they would campaign for to be elected by their classmates.